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Downloading movies and video became a little easier this week. An Internet company has started a new service that allows people to access movies and burn them onto a DVD. The company, CinemaNow.com, announced in a press release that its customers can “legally download…movies…and burn them to DVD for playback in a standard DVD player”. CEO Curt Marvis said: “Today, our customers will experience a true innovation in home entertainment: the ability to obtain a DVD in the comfort of their living room.” Mr. Marvis added that when he began in 1999, his aim was to be number one. He proudly stated: “This is a historic day for CinemaNow as we are at the forefront of digital video distribution."

CinemaNow's new technology is still being tested. The software prevents a burned DVD from being re-burned and copied onto another disc. This means it is almost impossible to make hundreds of copies and so helps stop video piracy. CinemaNow already distributes video from ABC News, Disney, Sony and Warner Bros. Mr. Marvis is now looking for other partners to increase his share in the industry. Newspapers report the company may soon link up with Apple Computer and use the popular iTunes store to sell movies. Apple would benefit as it could tighten its hold on the digital entertainment market. The service is only available in the USA but may go global next year.

WARM-UPS

1. DOWNLOADS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about computers and downloading. Do they burn CDs or DVDs? What kind of things do they keep in digital format? Share your findings with new partners.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

Downloadable / videos / Internet / movies / burning DVDs / DVD player / innovation / living rooms / piracy / software / partners / Disney / iTunes / entertainment

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

3. ONLINE LIFESTYLE: Ask your partner(s) about what they think of these online lifestyle choices. Together, give them a score from 1 (very bad idea) to 10 (great idea).  Share your findings with new partners and explain your scores.

_____ Movie downloads _____ Live music concerts online _____ Online English lessons _____ Online shopping _____ Online libraries

_____ Mail _____ Video conferencing _____ Working from home _____ Online marriage _____ Other _________________

4. QUICK DEBATE: Students A believe going to the movies is much better than downloading a movie and watching it at home. Students B think the armchair is better than a cinema seat. Debate this with your partner(s). Change partner(s) often.

5. DOWNLOAD OPINIONS: With your partner(s), talk about these opinions. Change partner(s) and share your findings.

1. Obesity will increase.
2. You have to watch movies on a large cinema screen.
3. The head of the person in front of you at the cinema won’t get in the way.
4. Downloading a movie is cheaper than going to a movie theater.
5. We will all stay at home and have boring lives.
6. Downloading is so convenient.
7. It’s only good if we can see the very latest movies.
8. We’ll all become movie experts.
9. More choice is always good – download, rental, buy the DVD or the cinema.

6. DVD: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with DVDs. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Microsoft has started a home movie division of its company.	T / F
b.	A special DVD player is needed to watch the downloaded movies.	T / F
c.	Customers will experience a true invitation to their homes.	T / F
d.	A CEO said in 1999 that his aim was to be number two in his industry.	T / F
e.	Testing of the downloading technology finished three months ago.	T / F
f.	The technology will stop a lot of video piracy.	T / F
g.	Apple computer has signed a contract to sell the movies online.	T / F
h.	The service will be available worldwide later this year.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	standard	stops
b.	innovation	join
c.	aim	goal
d.	stated	head
e.	forefront	portion
f.	prevents	regular
g.	almost	strengthen
h.	share	virtually
i.	link up	said
j.	tighten	revolution

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	a new service that	still being tested
b.	a true innovation in	for other partners
c.	in the comfort	forefront of digital video distribution
d.	This is a historic	from being re-burned
e.	we are at the	home entertainment
f.	CinemaNow's new technology is	share in the industry
g.	The software prevents a burned DVD	day for CinemaNow
h.	now looking	allows people to access movies
i.	increase his	global next year
j.	go	of their living room

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the gaps in the text.

Movie downloads from home coming soon

Downloading movies and video became a little ________ this week. An Internet company has started a new service that ________ people to access movies and burn them onto a DVD. The company, CinemaNow.com, announced in a ________ release that its customers can “legally download…movies…and burn them to DVD for playback in a ________ DVD player”. CEO Curt Marvis said: “Today, our customers will experience a ________ innovation in home entertainment: the ability to ________ a DVD in the ________ of their living room.” Mr. Marvis added that when he began in 1999, his aim was to be number one. He ________ stated: “This is a historic day for CinemaNow as we are at the forefront of digital video distribution."		obtain standard allows proudly easier comfort true press
CinemaNow's new technology is still being ________. The software prevents a burned DVD from being re-burned and ________ onto another disc. This means it is almost impossible to make hundreds of ________ and so helps stop video ________. CinemaNow already distributes video from ABC News, Disney, Sony and Warner Bros. Mr. Marvis is now looking for other ________ to increase his share in the industry. Newspapers report the company may soon ________ up with Apple Computer and use the popular iTunes store to sell movies. Apple would ________ as it could tighten its hold on the digital entertainment market. The service is only available in the USA but may go ________ next year.		copies link copied global partners tested benefit piracy

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Movie downloads from home coming soon

Downloading movies and video became ______________ this week. An Internet company has started a new service that allows people to access movies and ______________ a DVD. The company, CinemaNow.com, announced in a press release that its customers can “legally download…movies…and ______________ DVD for playback in a standard DVD player”. CEO Curt Marvis said: “Today, our customers will experience a true innovation in home entertainment: the ability ______________ DVD in the comfort of their living room.” Mr. Marvis added that when he began in 1999, his aim ______________ number one. He proudly stated: “This is a historic day for CinemaNow as ______________ forefront of digital video distribution."

CinemaNow's new technology is ______________. The software prevents a burned DVD ______________ and copied onto another disc. This means it is almost impossible to make hundreds of copies ______________ stop video piracy. CinemaNow already distributes video from ABC News, Disney, Sony and Warner Bros. Mr. Marvis is now looking for other partners ______________ share in the industry. Newspapers report the company may soon link up with Apple Computer ______________ popular iTunes store to sell movies. Apple would benefit as it could tighten its hold on the digital entertainment market. The service is only available in the USA but ______________ next year.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘home’ and ‘entertainment.

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “DOWNLOAD” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about downloading movies and DVDs.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

easier access standard true aim forefront

prevents almost distributes link benefit global

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
2. Are you a big movie fan?
3. Do you think watching a movie at home is better than watching it at a movie theater?
4. Will you visit CinemaNow.com to get movies from your computer?
5. How much would you pay to download a new movie?
6. What are the disadvantages of watching a movie at the cinema?
7. Do you download a lot of things?
8. Do you think we will be able to download anything we want in the future?
9. Do you like the comfort of your own living room?
10. Do you think being able to download movies will change your life?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. Would you like to be able to watch movies on an iPod or your watch?
4. Do you think the new service is really a “true innovation”?
5. Do you think the new service will really help stop video piracy?
6. What technology do you think will come after burning movies?
7. Would you like to download other things besides movies?
8. How many videos or DVDs of movies do you have?
9. Do you like to watch the same movie more than once?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
2. Was there a question you didn’t like?
3. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
4. What did you like talking about?
5. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

ONLINE LIFESTYLE: With your partner(s), write down the advantages and disadvantages of the things in the left hand column being online:

	Advantages	Disadvantages
Movie downloads
Live music concerts online
Online English lessons
Online shopping
Online libraries
Mail
Video chat
Working from home
Online marriage
Other ______________

Change partners and share with each other what you wrote. Decide whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in each case.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find information about video piracy and illegal downloading of movies and music. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. SURVEY: Conduct a survey of your family and friends. Find out their opinions on which is better and why - movie downloads or going to the movie theatre. Share what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson.

4. HOME ENTERTAINMENT: Write an essay about home entertainment of the future. Compare the ideas you write about with home entertainment now or in the past. Show your essay to your classmates in the next lesson. Which essay did you like best and why?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. F

c. F

d. F

e. F

f. T

g. F

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	standard	regular
b.	innovation	revolution
c.	aim	goal
d.	stated	said
e.	forefront	head
f.	prevents	stops
g.	almost	virtually
h.	share	portion
i.	link up	join
j.	standard	regular

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	a new service that	allows people to access movies
b.	a true innovation in	home entertainment
c.	in the comfort	of their living room
d.	This is a historic	day for CinemaNow
e.	we are at the	forefront of digital video distribution
f.	CinemaNow's new technology is	still being tested
g.	The software prevents a burned DVD	from being re-burned
h.	now looking	for other partners
i.	increase his	share in the industry
j.	go	global next year

GAP FILL:

Movie downloads from home coming soon

Downloading movies and video became a little easier this week. An Internet company has started a new service that allows people to access movies and burn them onto a DVD. The company, CinemaNow.com, announced in a press release that its customers can “legally download…movies…and burn them to DVD for playback in a standard DVD player”. CEO Curt Marvis said: “Today, our customers will experience a true innovation in home entertainment: the ability to obtain a DVD in the comfort of their living room.” Mr. Marvis added that when he began in 1999, his aim was to be number one. He proudly stated: “This is a historic day for CinemaNow as we are at the forefront of digital video distribution."

CinemaNow's new technology is still being tested. The software prevents a burned DVD from being re-burned and copied onto another disc. This means it is almost impossible to make hundreds of copies and so helps stop video piracy. CinemaNow already distributes video from ABC News, Disney, Sony and Warner Bros. Mr. Marvis is now looking for other partners to increase his share in the industry. Newspapers report the company may soon link up with Apple Computer and use the popular iTunes store to sell movies. Apple would benefit as it could tighten its hold on the digital entertainment market. The service is only available in the USA but may go global next year.

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